Mel B has been seen operating a mechanical digger as renovation work continues on her £2.2 million farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales. The singer, also known as Scary Spice, is actively involved in the transformation of the property, which she purchased last year. She has posted an online video of herself behind the controls of the digger, indicating her willingness to participate in the construction efforts.
The property, set on 11 acres of land, is undergoing a significant makeover aimed at turning it into a dream country retreat. Mel B, who divides her time between the US and her native Yorkshire, has received planning permission for various upgrades. These include a pool house, a cinema room, and an extension to create a new master bedroom suite. Architects described the previous entrance porch as "utterly useless" and "ineffective," leading to a successful application to replace it with a larger, sheltered entrance.
The farmhouse, which already featured five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a one-bedroom annex, is being enhanced with a new kitchen, a gym, a sauna, and outdoor spaces for a hot tub and ice bath. A detached pool hall is also being constructed to convert the existing swimming pool into an indoor facility. The renovations also include a new dog kennel with a special shower for her Rottweilers and Yorkshire terrier.
Mel B has embraced a more rural lifestyle on the farm, raising goats and chickens. She has shared insights into her daily routine, including tending to her animals and enjoying the fresh Yorkshire air. She has described the property as her "happy home" and "the safest, best place that I could be."
Her journey to this sanctuary has included significant personal and financial challenges. After a high-profile career and marriages, she experienced financial hardship, at one point being left with £700 after divorce and custody battles. She returned to the UK in 2019, living with her mother before acquiring the Yorkshire property.
Last July, Mel B married her hairdresser husband, Rory McPhee, 38, at St Paul's Cathedral, having been awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to charity and vulnerable women. She recently described her new life as her "second act" and expressed happiness, finding perfection in simple activities like walking in her forest and feeding her animals.